# Hue Essentials — user reviews > 127 indexed App Store user reviews of Hue Essentials by Thomas Vos, rated 4.10/5 from 130 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 89 · 4★ 9 · 3★ 11 · 2★ 1 · 1★ 20 ## What do users think of Hue Essentials? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 🚀 Excellent Hue lighting control - 👍 Works well with multiple bridges - 💡 Customizable remote controls - 🚀 Faster than official Hue app **Cons** - 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently - 🔒 In-app purchases required for key features - 👎 Poor execution and user experience - 🔋 Widgets and Apple Watch app not working **Commonly reported bugs** - Fade feature not working - Saving automations not working - Crashes when checking 'About' section - Widgets and Apple Watch app issues **Most requested features** - Repeat/loop function for automations - Strobing/flashing effects - Dark mode - Alexa integration ## Newest reviews (10 of 127) ### 4/5 — What’s with the widgets..? *2026-08-07* Good app overall, but I can’t get a widget for my lights. It only seems to have one for “temperature sensors”. Why?? ### 2/5 — No widgets *2026-01-09, version 4.5.1* Where are the widgets? To control the lights ### 3/5 — Was great before the Pro Hub *2025-11-30* Errors out whenever trying to start an effect on the new Hue Pro hub. Nothing but unknown parameters. I hope it is fixed soon. ### 3/5 — No way to skip this *2025-09-25* Mandatory “flip through these pages to see what this app has to offer” screens on installation are bad. ### 4/5 — Almost there *2025-05-24, version 4.2.7* This is a powerful app for creating automation and I use it to set all sorts of timers. Unless I’ve missed it, there needs to be a repeat/repeat function added to reduce the amount of instructions needed for more complex automations. Having this feature would allow nested loops which could mean a timer could be set to run every two weeks or longer. Another feature I would love to see would be a strobing function, for example where I could make a sequence of lights rapidly flash one after the other. I’ve played around with the effects, but I don’t find them that useful or intuitive. Other than that, the interface is nice and being able to test an automation is handy. ### 2/5 — Difficile à utiliser *2025-03-20, version 4.2.7* Mal fait. Incompréhensible. ### 1/5 — Not working anymore? *2025-01-24, version 4.2.7* I’ve always used this app for my Bluetooth Philips hue as I can’t have a bridge while I’m at uni but something has changed since I can no longer connect? I have no way of changing my lights and will have to get new normal lamps after years of having my Philips hue lights ### 5/5 — Better than the Hue Apps *2025-01-09* I reinstalled the Hue app and for some reason it cannot find my bridge anymore. I try to reset the bridge, reconnect the WiFi etc. but simply doesn’t work. With this app it connected to my devices in seconds and works well. Phillips Hue app is such a disappointment. ### 1/5 — not worth *2025-01-05* I purchased the premium version of this app for approximately eight dollars. However, it lacks a feature for account sign-in, which prevents me from accessing my subscription on other devices, such as my Sony TV. As a result, I'm limited to using the app solely on my iPhone, which is redundant since I have alternative applications available on that device. After reviewing the support documentation for the official website, I noted that users are eligible to request a refund if any issues arise, although the final decision rests with Apple. Unfortunately, despite submitting two refund requests, I have not received a response or reimbursement from Apple. Given these circumstances, I find the investment in this app to be unjustifiable. ### 1/5 — Won’t Work Doesn’t connect to bridge and stops there won’t go any further *2024-12-22, version 4.2.2* This app doesn’t work. Don’t use it ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Scammed *2026-05-27, version 4.6.0* My reason for getting this app was because my Hue Play bar lights, which were paired with my previous bridge, wouldn’t pair to my new bridge. I had read online that the Touchlink functionality of this app could solve my problem. Touchlink being a paywalled feature and figuring it would solve my issue, I paid only to find that it didn’t work. I followed the guidance provided by the creators along with performing my own troubleshooting with no success. These developers also appear to not allow refunds. Waste of money, garbage app is garage, stay away. If anyone has similar issue the aforementioned lights can be disassembled with relative ease, and a QR code is located inside the device which worked for pairing through the official Hue app. ### 1/5 — Touchlink does not work after paying *2026-05-17* You have to pay to use touchlink where it was free previously and after I paid $8, it didn’t work and now I’m stuck with this useless app. I only paid and would have happily paid if touchlink worked but it didn’t. $8 wasted. Do not buy. ### 1/5 — 4 year old bug the author refuses to fix *2026-03-14* Fade does not work. If you set up an action with a button an set a fade time, it happens immediately. There is not fade. Not sure how the author thinks that’s ok. Found an issue that is four years old of people complaining about it. Please fix!!! ### 1/5 — My hue Experience *2025-12-04, version 4.5.1* Very unreliable. Quite erratic. My worst nightmare. I wish had been drawn into this. Worst still, it is quite expensive. ### 1/5 — Very Disappointed *2025-10-11, version 4.5.1* I got this only really for the disco and dance sensation part, and I’m so disappointed, the lights glow rather that flash to the beat, if you press and hold the strobe button it’s great, but you can’t stand and hold the strobe button all the time, I feel that’s it’s been a waste of £7.99, the normal Philips hue app does everything else is ok to use if you don’t want any disco integration ### 1/5 — No longer works on the Apple Watch *2025-10-07* I used to use this app and loved it but now it can’t connect to the bridge and there’s no way to troubleshoot ### 1/5 — Update broke the app *2025-08-20, version 4.3.11* This app is completely broken after an update. All I get is a black screen. You stupid morons for breaking the app. And I seem to the only person on the entire planet with this problem. How dare you block me. ### 1/5 — Terrible Apple Watch App *2025-06-05* It doesn’t even work, the original app connects to my go lamp but my Apple Watch will never connect to it ### 1/5 — Не работает *2025-05-09* Перестало работать приложение ### 1/5 — Absolute rubbish *2025-02-05, version 4.2.7* Doesn’t respond to music. No integrated Apple Music support. £7.99 for nothing. Requesting a refund. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Works beautifully to control the lights in my house *2025-12-31* From my desktop computer. No need to reach out for my phone or tablet anymore while I am on the computer. ### 5/5 — Excellent Hue Lighting control app *2025-10-07, version 4.5.1* Have used this app for years to control Philips Hue lighting. Lamps respond faster and more features are revealed than in the Hue app (pairing third-party lamps is trivial). Definitely worth the buy for the pairing feature alone. ### 5/5 — Perfect for Hue Bridge Pro! *2025-09-22* I have had Hue lights since they were first available. The variety of settings, and the Hue Essentials communication with actual Hue App on my phone, is key. I have had several Apps that have worked with my devices, and this app combines all of them, into one app. Easily the best Hue app available ### 5/5 — Necessary if you have old Hue Bulbs *2025-09-22* This app is great but I would rather pay for a fully featured pro version than for micro-transactions for each feature, that being said they do work as promised. I needed this app because my original hue system was in a box for 7 years and I had no way to connect my v 1.0!bridge to the current app it so I could transfer my setup to their new hub. Phillips stopped supporting hue bridge 1.0 a few years ago in the official app. This app allowed me to connect my old bulbs, strips, remote and bridge to my new hue hub v 2 bridge and transfer them over. If you don’t feel like getting the new hub then this can mostly replace the official hue app. Most importantly for old hue bulb users it also has the Touchlink feature that is key to getting the original bulbs to work with the new hub 2. I wish hue still kept this feature in ther current app but hey don’t. These two apps are linked so once I got everything transferred the hue app works great alongside this one and I have full animated effects thanks to the new hub 2. ### 5/5 — still plugging away *2025-09-11, version 4.5.1* I have been using this many years now, It has been a consistently reliable app. ### 5/5 — This app saved me from buying a new bridge *2025-07-19* Wow. I discovered today when I needed to change which lights my switches controlled that the official Philips Hue Bridge v1 app (which I still have on my phone for compatibility with my circular v1 bridge) could no longer configure the accessories (it would freeze then crash when trying to select them in settings). Since that app is no longer supported, and my switches would not control the right lights without me being able to configure them… I was just about resigned to having to buy a new v2 bridge. Besides the cost and waste of plastic, this felt sad because I don’t need the newer bridge’s features and *all my Hue hardware including the v1 bridge is working just fine*! The only issue is that the software used to change their settings broke—had I not needed to add a few new bulbs and configure the switches to control them, I could’ve kept using the same setup for a long time! I was about to give up and buy a new bridge for $60 when I came across this app, tried it out, and… wow. No issues pairing with my v1 bridge, and could easily make the changes I needed to make to my switches. (In fact it offers customizations that the official Hue app never did for these switches, like setting up to *10* different things a single button can do when pressed repeatedly.) Leaps and bounds better than official Hue apps ever have been. Thanks so much for building this. 🙏 **Developer response:** Great to hear about your experience, thanks for the review! We have no plans to drop support for the v1 hue bridge, we will support it as long as possible. ### 5/5 — Difficile à utiliser *2025-06-16, version 4.2.7* Impossible de programmer les ampoules. Je l’impression de m’être fait avoir. ### 5/5 — Must have for Hue *2025-05-05* Touchlink premium functionality is a must have. It has rescued almost dead deceives more than I care to count. Also allows “exotic” devices to connect with the hue bridge even if not officially supported ### 5/5 — Great app for customizing Hue switches *2025-04-28* Hue Essentials is essential for adding more customizations to the Hue dimmer switches. Five stars alone just for that. ### 5/5 — Excellent *2025-03-23, version 4.2.7* Works really well. I have three bridges, and (having made the in-app purchase) this does a better job of working across them than the Philips app. I like the interface - you can even see the % remaining on the batteries in the switches. Easy to use. Very pleased. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*